Throughout the years games have been and continue to be very popular entertainment items enjoyed by adults as well as children of virtually any age group. Not surprisingly, the long term popularity of games has resulted in the creation and proliferation of games in many forms. These varied forms of games have included card games, board games, memory games, and dexterity or skill games to name just a few. Perhaps one of the more exciting types of games is found in games which may be generally described as "balance skill games". Such balance skill games are themselves subject to substantial variety both as to game play and game apparatus. However, typically such balance skill games include some sort of center stack structure and weighted elements for tokens in which the game play activity utilizes either the accumulation or removal of weights or other types of game play tokens. The object in most such games is to avoid tumbling the center stack.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,614,106 issued to Morrison et al sets forth a BALANCING PUZZLE DEVICE having a support base defining an upwardly extending cone and a plurality of balance members each having upper and lower portions configured for vertically stacking upon the base cone. Each of the balancing members supports a pair of outwardly and downwardly extending rods terminating in platforms which receive spherical weights. The game play involves placing weights upon the various platforms while endeavoring to avoid tipping the balanced array.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,932,655 issued to Kurita sets forth a BALANCING GAME HAVING AN ELASTIC SUPPORT POSITIONED BETWEEN UPPER AND LOWER HORIZONTAL SUPPORT PLATES. A plurality of weights are placed upon the upper plate causing the elastic support to deform and tip the plate.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,240,260 issued to Strogin sets forth a TOY GAME APPARATUS having a base supporting a bent rod extending vertically from the base and a plurality of body segments each having apertures therein which are stacked upon the rod. Each body portion or segment supports a pair of outwardly extending arms and upwardly faced hands which may receive weights placed thereon. Weights are placed upon the hands and the rod is rotated to gyrate the combined figure.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,424,455 issued to Dunson sets forth a BALANCE GAME APPARATUS having a center pivot supporting a balance arm which in turn defines a weight receptacle on each opposed end thereof. A plurality of weights are placed within the receptacles to balance the arm.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,863,918 issued to Kramer sets forth a BUILDING BLOCK GAME in which various blocks having different shapes are stacked one upon the other to attempt to reach a maximum height.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,057,247 issued to Morrison sets forth a BALANCING TOY SET having a base supporting a plurality of animal figures in a vertically stacked array. Each animal figure in turn supports an elongated balance beam having weights at the end thereof.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,303,240 issued to Ellman et al sets forth a MOVING BLOCK GAME having a base, a movable table mounted on the base, a drive system for powering the movable table, a designated playing area on the table and a plurality of playing blocks. The game is played by one or more players who sequentially place playing blocks of different sizes and shapes on the designated play area.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,522,393 issued to Dunn sets forth a CENTER OF GRAVITY BLOCK REMOVAL APPRAISAL AND BALANCING GAME in which a plurality of elongated rectangular blocks are initially arranged in criss-cross layers to form a vertical stack and in which players attempt to remove blocks from the stack while avoiding tilting or tumbling the stack.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,589,664 issued to Slimp, Jr. sets forth a TILTABLE BOARD GAME APPARATUS having a planar board supported by a center pivot beam upon which weights may be positioned.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,640,509 issued to Manspeaker sets forth a BALANCE GAME having a plurality of levels and fulcrums in association with weights which are shaped to be received in support relation on the levers.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,708,342 issued to Davis sets forth a BALANCING GAME AND METHOD having a rigid support member, a plurality of rigid headed elongated balance members and a planar storage member comprising the base for the rigid support member.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,744,567 issued to Kochmanski et al sets forth a DUCK ON THE ROCK having a game consisting of a plurality of playing pieces and a base member whereby one of the playing pieces is positioned on the base member and during play of the game, other playing pieces are placed serially upwardly on the first playing piece.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,007,636 issued to Pagani sets forth a GAME APPARATUS having a support base which in turn supports a pair of upwardly extending columns having a platform extending therebetween. A plurality of toy figure play pieces are balanced upon the support beam to form a pyramid arrangement.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,072,936 issued to Warehime sets forth a MAGNETIC MARBLES STACKING GAME AND APPARATUS having a base defining an upper surface upon which a plurality of magnetic marbles or magnetic game pieces are placed to form a cluster.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,181,727 issued to Fukumura sets forth a TOY GAME APPARATUS WITH VERTICALLY EXTENDABLE APPENDAGE having a figure defining a body portion and a vertically extendable semi-rigid appendage. An advancing mechanism within the body advances the appendage from a retracted position to an extended position while items are balanced upon the upper portion of the appendage.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,332,231 issued to McIntosh sets forth an EXECUTIVE BALANCE TOY having a plurality of precisely machined plates which interconnect and pivot with respect to one another to form a structure pivotable about two axes together with a play surface which does not pivot. The objective is to place as many weighted play pieces as possible on the play surface without causing it to tilt.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,480,159 issued to Alsip sets forth a GAME OF SKILL having a base element which in turn has a substantially horizontal dimensionally defined upper surface together with a plurality of uniformly thick playing pieces which are balanced by the players upon the horizontal surface.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,611,544 issued to Grebler et al sets forth a STACKING BRICK TOWER GAME in which a plurality of elongated rectangular bricks are initially arranged in a multi-tiered criss-cross vertical stack. Game play involves each player taking a turn attempting to remove a brick from the stack without toppling the stack.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,720,645 issued to Duggan sets forth a BALANCING TOY SET having a multi branched support from which a plurality of balancing members are interlockingly supported to form a tree-like mobile.
While the foregoing described prior art structures have in some circumstances provided improvement in the art and enjoyed commercial success, they have been also found to provide undue cost and complexity in facilitating game play. There exists therefore a need in the art for a simple cost effective and easily fabricated balancing game device which nonetheless provides interesting and amusing game play challenge.